Clinical efficacy of CT-guided 125 I brachytherapy in patients with local residual or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation

Objectives Treatment methods of local residual or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after thermal ablation are limited. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the efficacy and prognostic factors of 125 I brachytherapy for local residual or recurrent lesion after thermal ablation. Methods A total of 114 patients with 212 local residual or recurrent HCC tumors after thermal ablation underwent 125 I brachytherapy. Local progression-free survival (LPFS) and prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier curves and the Cox model. Results After a 6-month follow-up, the percentage of patients who achieved complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and stable disease (SD) was 57%, 13.2%, and 5.2%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year LPFS rates were 58.7%, 50.0%, and 41.2%, respectively. Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) ( p = 0.03), the number of intrahepatic tumors ( p = 0.01), and AFP level ( p = 0.02) were independent risk factors for local tumor progression (LTP). The median LPFS in patients without PVTT (22 months) was much longer compared to those with PVTT (10 months). The median LPFS in patients with less than three intrahepatic lesions improved from 17 to 24 months. The median LPFS was only 5 months in the high AFP group, but was prolonged with a decrease in AFP level (24 months). No severe complications were recorded. All complications were controllable and treatable. Conclusions CT-guided 125 I brachytherapy was a safe and effective treatment for patients with local residual or recurrent HCC after thermal ablation to improve local control rate.